


A Completely Different Movie

by Avathyst



Category: Wolf 359 (Radio)
Genre: AU - Everyone lives, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 16:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14139834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avathyst/pseuds/Avathyst
Summary: Set post-Desperate Measures.Alana Maxwell is a dangerous person. Smart, crafty, and willing to say anything. Hera is right not to trust the doctor again after what she did.Right?





	A Completely Different Movie

Hera’s processes hummed happily, the sounds of machinery rang through to even the furthest end of the Hephaestus. It had been a hard couple of, well, years. Systems were functioning well enough to continue running but up here, that was not good enough. A lot more work would need to be done to get the Urania spaceworthy. A lot of work and not nearly enough time.

“Hera, I know you can hear me,” said the captive Maxwell. “You can’t hear me.”

Yet, her words were met with silence. The idea that they cut comms to this room was laughable, considering that you can’t mute Hera. Well, they couldn’t at least.

It appeared as if they repurposed an extra bedroom into a makeshift brig. Three makeshift brigs on a facility never meant to have even one. Everything that wasn’t bolted down was gone; likely shoved into a different room. All of the drawers had been emptied and removed if they were ever there at all. How many corners did Goddard cut on this heap of junk, Maxwell wondered?

The events of the original crew's mutiny rang in Maxwell's mind clear as day. Sometimes, she deeply regretted having a photographic memory. She could still feel the barrel of Minkowski's standard issue pistol, pressing into her forehead. And yet, she never faltered. She held her ground in the eyes of insubordination. Commander Minkowski was nothing more than a dog with her back to the wall and now, she was lashing out.

Maxwell never faltered. If she died here, it would be to protect her team. Jacobi, on the other hand, didn't see things that way.

“Minkowski, stop,” said Jacobi. Two words. Two words that saved Maxwell from certain death. Two words that took that finger from that trigger.

It had been just under one week since they lost the ship. Each of them was sequestered separately; Something about keeping them from working together. Whatever the reason, Maxwell was so unbelievably bored.

“Hera! Come on, at least speak to me,” Maxwell whined. She had been at this for hours and still no response. But, like water eroding at a cliff face, eventually, Hera broke down.

“Fine, Maxwell. What do you want?” Hera’s voice echoed through the small room.

“I want a little company. Is that too much to ask?” Maxwell asked. She pulled herself into a slightly more upright position, looking pointedly for a camera.

“Yes. Goodbye, Maxwell,” Hera said abruptly.

Before the comms system crackled offline, Maxwell bolted up. “Wait for just one second!”

“Ugh. Yes?”

Maxwell, now in an upright position, glared at Hera’s camera. “Look, I was doing what I had to, okay?”

“Excuse me?” Hera asked, voice glitching for a moment. “I don’t want your excuses. I trusted you and you stuck your fingers in my head.”

“I’m sorry, okay? Eiffel forced my hand, I had to-”

“You didn’t have to do anything!” Hera replied. “You made a choice and you chose to betray your friend.”

“Jacobi and Kepler are my friends too. I was just protecting what was important to me.” There was no response for just longer than too long. “Hera, are you still there?”

“You know that I am,” replied the AI. Another silence followed.

Maxwell floated listlessly in this zero gravity environment. Thoughts raced through her head about what Hera could do to her. Up here, pissing off the AI was about the dumbest thing you could do. But Maxwell didn’t find herself jettisoned.

Instead, Hera spoke again. “You didn’t have to do what you did. You didn’t have to use me as a tool against my friends.” This time it was Maxwell that froze. “You knew. You knew that I hate having people inside my head and you did it anyway, Doctor.”

That was true. Maxwell read the intense emotional signs back when she attempted to find the fault code in her command line. Hera was one hell of a powerful machine. In fact, she was more than just any old machine.

“Doctor Maxwell, you hurt me. You hurt me more than Doctor Hilbert ever could have.” Hera took another pause, seemingly for a breath that she didn’t need. “I never trusted Hilbert but I trusted you.”

“Hera, I-”

The AI interjected, cutting off the doctor. “You were just following orders. You were just protecting yourself. Look, I know. I have thought through every possible way this conversation ends. Doctor Maxwell, you can’t take back what you did.”

“You haven’t let me try!” Maxwell cried out, the sound echoing in this cramped room. Maxwell pushed herself away from the wall and closer to the sole camera, staring deep into the lens. “I am sorry.”

Hera looked into Maxwell’s eyes. Her gaze cast out through every single camera, device, and wire in this ship. Focusing on one thing was impossible for Hera but if it were, she would be.

Maxwell continued. “I knew that I would hurt you but I did it anyway. I can’t apologize for that.”

“You’re right, Doctor Maxwell. You can’t.”

“I wasn’t finished.”

“I was.”

Hera’s voice crackled out, leaving the doctor in silence again. In space, no one can hear you scream. No one could hear Maxwell's complaints either. “Hera, come back here.”

But she didn’t. Maxwell floated in silence. Frowning to herself, Maxwell made her way back to the sole cot. It wasn't comfortable but it would do. She strapped herself into place to avoid floating away.

Maxwell usually understood machines. Hera was a complicated machine but she was just that, a machine. Yet, she still felt bad. She felt bad for ones and zeroes! Ones and zeroes that made more sense than the people around her.

Or at least they used to.

The Hephaestus was loud, whirring with systems to keep them all alive. Most people would ignore the sounds but Maxwell couldn't. She could only appreciate them; appreciate the amount of work Hera did from moment to moment.

Under normal circumstances, Maxwell would have so many other things to think about, like all the work she would have to do. Now, she could only sit in the cacophonous silence.

“Hera, I'm sorry,” Maxwell said to no one. “I am begging you, I am so bored.”

Nothing but silence. After a pause and then another, Hera crackled online. “And?”

“Well, I'd like some company.”

“I don't exactly have a board game for you.”

Maxwell remained strapped into bed. She was just glad to hear someone's voice. “How about we play truth or dare?”

“What?” Hera blustered. If she had a face there would have been a look of abject confusion. “Alright. I dare you to push Kepler out the airlock.”

Maxwell chuckled to herself. “Yeah, I'm not doing that.”

“Well if you aren't going to play seriously, why should I?” Hera asked. The AI had grasped sarcasm perfectly, it seemed.

“Come on, it'll be fun. Truth or dare?” Maxwell asked.

“Truth.”

“Who is your favorite member on board?”

A noise of confusion echoed from the speaker. “Favorite? I prioritize the safety of all crew members equally.”

“It's called truth or dare, Hera. Not Half-truth or dare.” Maxwell unstrapped herself, letting zero gravity take over.

“Well, if I had to pick? Now, this doesn't leave this room but I would pick Officer Eiffel.”

The doctor almost looked shocked, what with the way her eyebrows shot up. “No way. Eiffel?”

“He's my friend. He just talks to me, even when he doesn't want anything. I like talking to him, even if I don't understand a fraction of what he says.”

“I see. And, you don't have to deal with the stink,” Maxwell laughed.

Hera laughed too. For the first time in a while. It just felt nice. Then reality came crashing back. “Truth or dare, Doctor.”

“I saw what you call a dare, I pick truth.”

“Alright, Doctor. Why did you bother helping me find that line of code if you planned on digging in my head anyway?” The inquisitive tone in her voice was enough to make you forget she wasn't in the room. Not really.

“That's not fair.”

“Nope.”

Maxwell sighed. She leaned back, still floating aimlessly. “I didn't plan to hurt you. Hera, you are so much more than a dummy program. I couldn't do that to you.” She let her eyes drift shut, concentrating intently. “I acted. I am sorry but I can't undo any of it.”

“Sorry doesn't help me, Doctor. Sorry doesn't mean you won't just do it again.”

“I can't say for sure that I won't. Hera, I would do anything to protect my crew. We're not good people but we stick together.”

“I'm leaving, Doctor.”

“Hey,” Maxwell interjected. Her hand extended out as if trying to breach some imaginary wall. “Come back soon okay? We can play another round.”

“We'll see, Doctor Maxwell.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there, welcome to my little AU series "A Completely Different Movie."  
> This is going to have a primarily Herawell focus but with the other characters making appearances from time to time.
> 
> If you liked it and want to see more, please let me know!  
> My personal is avathyst.tumblr.com and I would love to talk with you about all things Wolf 359.


End file.
